This invention relates to the technical field of carbon layer forming methods using a vapor phase deposition technique such as sputtering or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). More specifically, this invention relates to a carbon layer forming method particularly used with advantage in forming a carbon protective layer in a protective coating of a thermal head performing thermal recording.
Thermal materials comprising a thermal recording layer on a substrate of a film or the like are used to record images produced in diagnosis by ultrasonic scanning (sonography).
This recording method, also referred to as thermal recording, eliminates the need for wet processing and offers several advantages including convenience in handling. Hence in recent years, the use of the thermal recording system is not limited to small-scale applications such as diagnosis by ultrasonic scanning and an extension to those areas of medical diagnoses such as CT, MRI and X-ray photography where large and high-quality images are required is under review.
As is well known, thermal recording involves the use of a thermal head having a glaze, in which heating elements comprising a heat-generating resistor and electrodes, used for heating a thermal material to record an image are arranged in one direction (main scanning direction) and, with the glaze urged at small pressure against the thermal material, the two members are moved relative to each other in an auxiliary scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, and energy is applied to the heating elements of the respective pixels in the glaze in accordance with image data to be recorded which were supplied from an image data supply source such as MRI or CT in order to heat the thermal recording layer of the thermal material, thereby performing image recording through color formation.
A protective coating is formed on the surface of the glaze of the thermal head in order to protect the heat-generating resistor for heating a thermal material, the associated electrodes and the like. Therefore, it is this protective coating that contacts the thermal material during thermal recording and the heat-generating resistor heats the thermal material through this protective coating so as to perform thermal recording.
The protective coating is usually made of wear-resistant ceramics; however, during thermal recording, the surface of the protective coating is heated and kept in sliding contact with the thermal material, so it will gradually wear and deteriorate upon repeated recording.
If the wear of the protective coating progresses, density unevenness will occur on the thermal image or a desired protective strength can not be maintained and, hence, the ability of the protective coating to protect the heat-generating resistor is impaired to such an extent that the intended image recording is no longer possible (the head has lost its function).
Particularly in the applications such as the aforementioned medical use which require multiple gradation images of high quality, the trend is toward ensuring the desired high image quality by adopting thermal films with highly rigid substrates such as polyester films and also increasing the setting values of recording temperature (energy applied) and of the pressure at which the thermal head is urged against the thermal material. Under these circumstances, as compared with the conventional thermal recording, a greater force and more heat are exerted on the protective coating of the thermal head, making wear and corrosion (or wear due to corrosion) more likely to progress.
With a view to preventing the wear of the protective coating on the thermal head and improving its durability, a number of techniques to improve the performance of the protective coating have been considered. Among others, a carbon-based protective coating (hereinafter referred to as a carbon protective layer) is known as a protective coating excellent in resistance to wear and corrosion.
Thus, Examined Published Japanese Patent Applications (KOKOKU) No. 61-53955 and No. 4-62866 (the latter being the divisional application of the former) disclose a thermal head excellent in wear resistance and response which is obtained by forming a very thin carbon protective layer having a Vickers hardness of 4500 kg/mm2 or more as the protective coating of the thermal head and a method of manufacturing the thermal head, respectively.
Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application (KOKAI) No. 7-132628 discloses a thermal head which has a dual protective coating comprising a lower silicon-based compound layer and an overlying diamond-like carbon layer, said protective coating having wear and breakage significantly reduced, thereby ensuring that high-quality images can be recorded over an extended period of time.
The carbon protective layer (carbon layer) has properties quite similar to those of diamond including a very high hardness and chemical stability, hence the carbon protective layer presents sufficiently excellent properties to prevent wear and corrosion which may be caused by the sliding contact with thermal materials.
The carbon protective layer is excellent in wear resistance, but brittle because of its hardness, that is, low in tenacity.
Therefore, if the carbon protective layer has pinholes, cracks and the like, a thermal shock or stress due to heating of heating elements, a stress due to a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the carbon protective layer and the neighboring layer, a mechanical impact due to a foreign matter entered between the thermal material and the thermal head (glaze) or other factors may bring about rather easily cracking or delamination.
If cracking or delamination is caused in the protective coating, wear, corrosion and also wear due to corrosion progress, leading to the deterioration of the durability of the thermal head. The thermal head is not capable of exhibiting high reliability over an extended period of time.
An object of the present invention is to solve the prior art problems by providing a carbon-based layer forming method by means of a vapor phase deposition technique such as sputtering or CVD, said method ensuring that a high-quality carbon layer having significantly reduced pinholes or cracks can be obtained.
By using the present invention, for example, to fabricate a thermal head having a carbon-based protective layer, the carbon protective layer obtained has no cracking and delamination due to pinholes and cracks, and can provide the thermal head having a sufficient durability to ensure that high reliability is exhibited over an extended period of time to perform thermal recording of high-quality images consistently over an extended period of operation.
In order to achieve the above object, the invention provides a method of forming a carbon layer by vapor phase deposition, comprising the steps of adjusting a content of particles having a particle size of 0.5 xcexcm or more in a film deposition system of the carbon layer to 1000 particles/ft3/min or less, and then starting a film deposition process of the carbon layer.
Preferably, the content of the particles having the particle size of 0.5 xcexcm or more is reduced to 500 particles/ft3/min.
Preferably, the carbon layer is formed as a protective coating on a thermal head performing thermal recording.
Preferably, a lower limit of the content of the particles having the particle size of 0.5 xcexcm or more ranges between 50 particles/ft3/min and 100 particles/ft3/min.